Aaron Rodgers’ absence from the New York Jets mandatory minicamp has been criticised by former New England Patriots star Julian Edelman – who admitted Tom Brady never missed the camp
Former New England Patriots star Julian Edelman has criticised New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers for his unexplained absence from the team’s minicamp, noting that even Tom Brady never pulled a similar stunt.
Rodgers, who is now 40 years old, is currently preparing for his comeback following a disastrous debut for the Jets in 2023. Just four plays into his first game with the team, he ruptured his Achilles and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the season.
He’s hoping to make a more significant impact in his second year at MetLife Stadium. Rodgers unexpected no-show at the Jets’ minicamp on June 11-13, however, didn’t go unnoticed by the NFL community.
Among those criticising his absence was former Patriots player Edelman. During a chat with Colin Cowherd, the three-time Super Bowl champion shared that he wasn’t impressed with Rodgers’s actions and used former teammate Brady as an example to illustrate his point.
Speaking about his own experiences, Edelman said: “I think it’s a bad look for your leader, for whatever reason, to go and miss [a mandatory minicamp]. I was with Tom Brady in his 25th year or 23rd year, and he started missing OTAs here and there, but he never missed a mandatory minicamp. I just thought it was a bad look.
“I’m a big Aaron Rodgers fan, but if I was in that locker room, and Aaron Rodgers wasn’t there for three days on the mandatory minicamp, having played four snaps off of an injury when we have two new receivers, a bunch of new linemen that we added to the team, with a CBA that doesn’t allow us to practice a lot, I guarantee there’s four or five guys – six, seven, eight, nine guys in that locker room – sitting there like, ‘Where’s he at?'”.
Edelman also warned that the four-time NFL MVP might have unintentionally put pressure on himself for the upcoming season. He said: “God forbid the New York Jets start 1-3 at the beginning of the season, which they start with the Niners, Tennessee, Patriots and someone else regardless [the Broncos].
“We all know the Patriots are no good, but that defense is still the same defense, and that’s who Aaron goes against. If they go 1-3, this is going to be such a big distraction for that locker room,” he further predicted, adding: “Because everyone is going to be talking about it.”
Despite the controversy surrounding Rodgers’ absence from minicamp, it seems that Jets head coach Robert Saleh is keeping his cool. With Haason Reddick also missing from the camp for unknown reasons, the coach gave a diplomatic response on the matter.
Saleh made his position clear, stating: “Aaron and I are on the exact same page. There’s no issue between Aaron or his teammates, for that matter. We addressed it yesterday. It’s more of an issue for everyone outside the building than it is inside.”